Banshee appears at some point, pulls me aside. "Congratulations, brother. That's amazing news."
"Thanks, man."
He smiles, genuine happiness in his eyes. But I see the grief underneath. The longing for what he lost. For the family he'll never have with the wife he buried.
"You doing okay?" I ask quietly.
"Yeah. I'm good." He claps my shoulder. "Enjoy this, Shadow. Every second of it. It's precious."
He walks away before I can respond, disappearing into the crowd of celebrating brothers.
I make a mental note to check on him. Soon.
But tonight is about celebration. About family. About the future Grace and I are building.
Later, driving home under a sky full of Texas stars, Grace is quiet beside me.
"You okay?" I ask.
"Just thinking."
"About?"
"Everything. How much has changed in such a short time." She looks at me. "Six months ago, we were hiding our relationship. You were about to be exiled. Everything was falling apart."
"And now?"
"Now we're married. You're reinstated. We're having a baby." She smiles. "Everything came back together."
I reach across the console, take her hand. "Because you fought for it. For us."
"We fought for it."
"Yeah. We did."
We pull into our driveway, and Charlie's waiting at the door, tail wagging.
Grace lets her out for a quick bathroom break while I lock up the truck.
Inside, we go through our evening routine—Grace showering, me checking the doors and windows, both of us brushing our teeth side by side at the bathroom sink.
Domestic. Normal. Perfect.
In bed, Grace curls into my side, her head on my chest.
My hand settles on her stomach—still flat, but I know what's growing there. Our baby. Our future.
"Shadow?" Her voice is sleepy.
"Yeah, darlin'?"
"Are you scared? About being a father?"
I'm quiet for a moment, honest with her like I always am. "Terrified. But also... excited. Like this is what I've been working toward without knowing it."
"Me too."
"We'll figure it out," I say. "Together."
